More than half of the people killed so far this year in traffic accidents on Alabama highways were not wearing seat belts when they were available.

The state Department of Public Safety reports 367 traffic deaths through September. The department says 302 of the fatalities were in vehicles equipped with seat belts, and 178 of them were not using the seat belts.

That's on par with 2012, when 59 percent of the people killed in traffic accidents were not wearing seat belts.